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Summary Of On The Rainy River By Tim O Brien

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In Tim O'brien's “On the Rainy River” it is the story about a man who has been conscripted to go the vietnam war, a war which he himself does not believe in due to the fact that he believes “when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause” by saying this I can see that he is against death and has a negative approach towards the idea of a war. Later on in the story he says “I was a coward. I went to the war.”(pg.173) I disagree with the statement he made saying “I was a coward. I went to the war.”(pg.187) mostly because he went through a lot mentally to make the decision to go to war, and it's clear from the story that his decision to enter the war was made by factors more than cowardice. …show more content…

The weight or stress of “fitting in” and the fear of being rejected by his community drove him into choosing whether to leave or stay in the country “All those eyes on me - the town, the whole universe - and I couldn’t risk the embarrassment.”(pg.186). Tim O'Brien's decision to participate in the war can be seen as an act of courage, because it demonstrates his willingness to face societal judgment in order to fit into the duty he has to serve his

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A man you have never met might be the man to save your life. In the story “ On the Rainy River”, a Young man named Tim was drafted into war, and his only escape was Canada. Along his trip he came across a cabin owned by Elroy. Elroy gave Tim food and shelter, and gave him a chance to make a life changing decision.

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Most people consider it an honour to be given the opportunity to fight for one’s country but in Tim’s case it is the opposite. He sees it as himself becoming “a coward” (187) by conforming to other’s expectations instead of fighting for his individual beliefs and “for more than twenty years [he’s] had to live with it” (172). The thought of throwing every one of his beliefs away and taking lives just to fit in is extremely degrading for him and makes him feel like the opposite of the hero he dreamed to be as a child. But it is this event that shows him what perseverance really is. Tim survives the war which itself is no easy task, but additionally he has to live with the feeling of betraying himself in the process.

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341 Words | 2 Pages

In Tim O'Brien's "On The Rainy River" from the novel Things They Carried, the author emphasizes the meaning of the River. " On The Rainy River" explores the meaning of separation between O'Brien's two different futures. As O'Brien battles his two different lives, he worries about what consequences will come with each side. O'Brien highlights how he was impulsive and began heading for the border where his life would be at the most risk. "

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925 Words | 4 Pages

“The emotions went from outrage to terror to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow… I felt a sickness inside of me. Real disease” (O’Brien 43). The idea of going to war brought up so many different feelings for Tim O’Brien including guilt. Tim O’Brien felt that if he didn’t go to war, then people would practically bully him and think that he was a coward for not going to the war. Tim experienced something that many people call an apparition, and his version of one was when many people he knew from the past were shaming him for not going to the war, and for running from it.

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839 Words | 4 Pages

‘’I was a coward. I went to the war’’ Pg187. In the short story, ‘’On The Rainy River’’ by Tim O’Brien, The protagonist faces a difficult life decision, he did not want to conform to society the way others wanted him to. He wanted to keep his personal beliefs. Tim O’Brien does not want to conform no matter how vital it is that he should.

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721 Words | 3 Pages

Every time we make a decision in life are we influenced by things around us? In Tim O’Brien’s story “On the Rainy River”, challenged Tim’s decision if he should go to war where there is violence or to flee to Canada where there is freedom; although, his final decision was to go to war he was influenced by doing the right thing and the shame or guilt he could have felt when being faced with the dilemma of going to war. When people are put into a situation when they have to choose over two places most will go with what feels right, but others will go with what will be the best for not only themselves but others around them too. A big part of this story and real-life situations is that people want to make others happy and content so they do things

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618 Words | 3 Pages

Tim O’Brien was very clear with his stance on the war, he very much opposed it. He wasn’t able to find the meaning or purpose behind the war and most definitely didn’t want to participate in it. “I was drafted to fight a war I hated.” (O’Brien, 38). This quotation showcases Tim’s feelings about the war, and how he disliked it.

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He clearly wanted nothing to do with the war as he explains "I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen. I was above it”. Him saying this meant his heart was to full of compassion to kill anyone or be violent to anyone, he was a better man then that he didn 't want the grief of killing someone to hang heavy over his head for the rest of his life, but he was afraid to admit that to anyone until now.

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

He was willing to escape at all cost but ultimately it was the fear of disgracing his family, and the emotional toll it was taking on him that led him into the war. He stated, “I simply couldn’t bring myself to flee. Family, the home town, friends, history, tradition, fear, confusion, exile: I could not run.” (O’Brien

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963 Words | 4 Pages

He begins to start thinking about his family, friends, goals, and dreams. He questions if he should even go to Canada and begin a new life where no one would know what he had done or go back and fight in a war that he didn't believe in. Tim can’t push himself to jump and swim twenty yards so in embarrassment he cries and has a mental breakdown because of the conflict he was faced with. O’Brien ends up going back to his hometown and fights in the war not because he had to but because he was ashamed that when he was given the chance to leave the U.S he froze up and couldn’t do it, all he wanted to do was escape and not fight in a war he didn't believe in. This story shows great examples of what shame can do mentally to a person who doesn’t believe in the war or wants to get involved in

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1102 Words | 5 Pages

The desire for autonomy is prevalent among individuals when challenged, however, some may reassess their initial motivations, and reconsider pursuing complete independence. The short story “On the Rainy River” written by Tim O’Brien, explores his attempts at balancing the desire for independence, without sacrificing previous, deep connections. Tim aspires for society's norms to align with his ideas, in an effort to combat his fear of losing meaningful relationships from crushing his ambitions. And as Tim becomes more initiative toward his goal, his need to maintain a meaningful relationship overwhelms him with anxiety. Anxiety over perceptions of his family and loved ones, leading him to blame his inability to flee to Canada on his fear of

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1302 Words | 6 Pages

O'Brien wanted to stay out of the war by justifying his fear of going to war, through wanting those who support the war “to head for the front and hook up with an infantry unit and help spill the blood. And you have to bring along your wife, or your kids, or your lover. A law, I thought.”. O'Brien had occasions

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1205 Words | 5 Pages

It was not Tim’s sense of nationalist loyalties that caved him; rather, it was helplessness and his reputation that was at risk. Tim O’Brien longed to be that “secret hero” or “Lone Ranger” in order to impress those around him. However, he ends up learning that courage does not come in finite quantities. He finds himself resenting authority, “If you support a war, if you think it’s worth the price, that’s fine, but you have to put your own precious fluids on the line”. No matter how much he may find the law cruel and inhuman, he has is too prideful and decides to comply with the rules.

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1425 Words | 6 Pages

In the chapter titled “On the Rainy River,” O'Brien explores the idea of fleeing the country to avoid the war, or staying to go to a war he doesn't believe in. He speaks of who he would disappoint if he were to take the easy way out and flee to Canada, and what he could lose by going to fight for his country. He becomes conflicted with the guilt that he feels for running away and the fear that he has for going to war. An example of the fear he has is when O'Brien writes, “Beyond all this, or at the very center, was the rar fact of terror. I did not want to die.

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708 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “On the Rainy River”, by Tim O’Brien is an exploration of how guilt and the pressures of society can shape one’s decision making. O’Brien feels guilty about going to war in Vietnam which contradicts his principles and his dream of becoming a writer. In the story, O’Brien admits, “I was a coward, I went to war” (O’Brien 80); he feared how the people of his community, and the rest of society would view him if he ran away. He feared the external embarrassment he would face if he dodged his draft notice instead of serving in the war; the fear of being judged by society was too unbearable for him to face. During O’Brien’s encounter with Elroy Berdahl, he is influenced to adhere to a decision, however, he chose to conform to the expectations of society.

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